More economics as we prepare for debate

9:50 pm Tuesday September 23

This Friday is the first presidential debate that is supposed to be focused on foreign affairs. We know that this is where McCain is supposed to shine; we also know that public speaking is Obama's thing. The BBC reports that the Obama campaign, though, is not pumping up this debate. Instead of setting Obama up for success, they are setting McCain up for failure. The BBC reports, "This debate offers [Mr McCain] a major home-court advantage and anything short of a game-changing event will be a key missed opportunity for him."

They couldn't ignore the still growing concern of the economic crisis. They actually touched on something that I hadn't been hearing in the news. they said, "The two candidates - whose campaign plans have both been knocked off course by the crisis - have taken increasingly divergent paths on the bail-out, although both are moving gingerly lest they be blamed for blocking the rescue."

Yeah, they'll comment, but they won't have a discussion about it. They tend to attack the other candidate, rather than talk about the issue.

And we can't forget about our favourite* female vice-president. Sarah Palin has managed to stay in the headlines. Someone had hacked into her email-- but the story got juicy. It turns out that invesigators believe that it was the 20-year-old student David Kernell, son of state congressman Mike Kernell.

They also have a special editorial that I found interesting; it was about the view the rest of the world will have of the United States if we face, again, what we did in 2000. The author talks about the chances that we get a 269 to 269, and how that would make America appear weak. They also provide a new electoral map, showing exactly how this could happen; and also how this provides a much better chance to see our first women presidet; Nancy Pelosi.
They sum up what is important with one article. They said, "The candidates continue to give their responses to the US Treasury Secretary's $700bn economic bailout plan. McCain campaign managers lay into the media in general and the New York Times in particular."

This is what is important so far this week, but we'll certainly see how this changes as we grow closer to the debate, and election.

I know I'm not American, but I'd vote for....

WHAT? Again, the leaders of the free world's economy is crashing. We're staring an oncoming depression in the face. And... we're speculating who we would vote for if we were Americans?

I will give it to the BBC. I feel that the people at the BBC all have different feelings about Americans and our politics. This is because some articles seem down the middle while others lean a bit left or right.

The headline today {10:53 Friday September 19} is about McCain criticizing the bailout. This is a headline because historically, he has sided with Bush about many things. Is this a tactic to demonstrate how he can disagree with Bush? A way to show that he is not the same old Washington? It certainly doesn't seem that way. There's no mention of that in the article. It also fits in with the Republican platform: get government out and let us be!

Democrats should be saying, we'll give you the rules, so we'll give you the assistance, but McCain is saying, it is time that we stop helping them and they take responsibility for their institute. Obama wasn't in the headlines... but he got a section to himself about this whole situation. He is again appealing to this small town; talking about saving Main Street.

Why is this? In another article on the BBC, they talked about Big-City-Barrack vs. Small-Town-Sarah. While we know that most of America is made up of city dwellers, why has SArah Palin become so popular?

It's simple: look at the battleground states. Pennsylvania, Ohio, Virginia? Do you first think of Philadelphia? or Scranton? Columbus? or St. Clairesville? It's the small town voter that are hurting; and the ones deciding this next election.

I guess this array of articles makes it tough as to what really matters in this election... Will it be the (failing) economy that decides, or who can really rock out to John Mellencamp's "I was born in a small town" ?

Wrap Up and top 5...

Under 50 days left to win this election? What does the BBC think we should be looking at to decide who to vote for?
1. Sarah Palin's ABC special
2. Sarah Palin's family
3. Obama's fund raising ability
4. Sarah Palin on Sarah Palin ad, and Obama's refusal to apologize
5. 9-11 remembrance.

Looking at classmate's blogs, it appears that the BBC is following the America media as far as the agenda they are running. Sarah Palin has certainly shaken things up in the entire world. While many analysts might say that Palin was not vetted as she should have been, I think that McCain can see what happened to Obama in primary season, and I'm seeing a paralell to what is happening now.

Hillary 'leaked' things like the picture of Obama in a turban, and then the tape of his minister was all over the television. It seemed that no matter what you heard about him, his popularity continued to explode. The more controversy, the more he became recognized and popular. Sarah Palin stepped up, and she has been criticized for her pregnant daughter and her 'abstinence' push; the 'troopergate' scandal; the fact that she has children, one of which is special needs, one is pregnant, and the other in Iraq (all under age 20) and she's running for one of the most powerful positions in governement (time commitment?); and let's not forget the fact that she is 44 with little experience, which just happens to be the entire platform that McCain had built his election on...

Someone once said that 'there's no such thing as bad press,' and I think McCAin and Palin are experiencing those consequences... One thing is for sure; the BBC has bit on, and caught Palin fever...

And we're live on air

09:21 ET, Thursday, 11 September 2008-- last page update
11:45 pm Friday night 12 September 2008--date accessed


Sarah Palin had just finished her interview. The BBC, as did most news stations posted this as the most important issue of the day... and seeing as how it was still the most important issue on Friday night, they must feel that this is definitely an important issue for the upcoming election.

The BBC opens this article with a clip from the ABC interview. They really focus on her 'lack of experience'. In the interview, it is almost like a quiz to ensure that she is knowledgeable and aware of current events. The BBC also cuts off the interview after she says that America should be able to attack countries suspected of harboring terrorists without the permission of the country that they're invading... Those living in Europe and really, the target audience for the BBC are not huge fans of America and our current war fiasco. This is definitely being spun in a way that is meant to hinder the success of the Republican Party.

The article then goes down to provide analysis of what this interview meant. Although they appear to be fair and balanced, when you look at the headlines, you see 'Lack of Experience' and they go on to talk about three paragraphs. The next headline is 'Proud.' There is one paragraph talking about how she is proud, and the others, again, are talking about NATO and her son, Track.

I feel as though, again, it is easier to attack a person and their record than it is to face the issues. I think that is because most issues do not have a simple solution, and while everyone is shouting for change, no one wants to stop driving their cars, or separating their trash, or donate more to charitable causes. Few want to give up their Saturdays to help the less fortunate and more people want to have more money; less to the government. Sure, we all want change-- but we don't want to have to change; we want others to do that... so instead of holding ourselves accountable, we mention issues, and then we talk about the things we're good at talking about; other people.

They start by saying that it didn't do much to change voters. People that liked her still like her; people that didn't... still don't.

Do you know the difference between pigs and pit bulls? Apparently Sarah Palin...

So, news has moved on from Sarah Palin's pregnant daughter, and her electrifying speech. The republicans have found a nice little clip referring to pigs and lip stick, thinking that it was an allusion to the joke Sarah Palin made about hockey moms.



On BBC Wednesday, September 10 at 11:45, the main story about the election is Obama denying the charges that he was being sexists. He claims that his comments were taken out of context. The BBC writes, ""The McCain campaign would much rather have the story about phoney and foolish diversions than about the future," the Illinois senator said."

I feel like this issue is moot. McCain made the same kind of comments about Hilary Clinton. Also, the McCain campaign has been running negative ads from some time now. At least in the outlets I've been watching, I have not been seeing any kind of rebuttal from Obama. It seems that McCain can give grief, but plays the girl card when Obama fights back...

I feel like this story will blow over, and that the stories that aren't getting much attention are the ones that may make a difference. Below the Obama and lipstick story is the one where Ron Paul is calling for people to deny both candidates and pick a third party. His slogan? I'd rather throw away my vote than throw away my country. With the election as close as it is, a few thousand votes might just throw this election one way or another...

Head for cover! John McCain attacks!

Okay! So I take back what I said about I said about the BCC being down the middle. You learn in any basic journalism class that you say what you mean. Avoid emotionally charged words-- unless you mean them. I've been keeping my browser on www.bbc.co.uk, watching the headlines fly by. Today, the headline of the website read,

"McCain attacks media over Palin"

Really? Attacks, does he? Apparently, the GOP candidate speared some guy holding a pencil and paper for hounding his campaign about not thoroughly researching his VP candidate. Hmm. Wait! No? They released a statement condemning the media for questioning the process in which he picked his VP. It was a statement? You mean the senator didn't hit anyone? Or body slam the guy with the camera?

It couldn't be that he did research and accepts that his VP candidate doesn't live the perfect life. Maybe she doesn't like her ex-brother-in-law. Maybe she has a teenage daughter who is sexually active. Maybe she has a child that has Down syndrome. Maybe she's an American mom, who deals with life.

The BBC later went on to say that her husband, Todd, was part of a group that thought about seceeding from the union, and also that she has hired a lawyer in the case of 'trooper-gate'. Both of these would require little effort on the part of the journalist to get the full story. Instead, the BBC will leave it at that, making it appear that Palin is guilty of some crime, or that her husband doesn't support America. Anyone familiar with politics knows that the lawyer is probably a technicality, and that her husband would not allow or encourage his son to join the miltary if he didn't want to be part of the United States of America.

I hope to see how things play out over the weekend, especially AFTER Sarah Palin speaks tonight at the RNC.